Polygamist Joe Darger, who lives in Utah with his three wives, said he was happy to see such a bill introduced in the legislature.

"The intent of what he's trying to accomplish, I absolutely am behind," he told FOX 13 News. "We should not legislate morality."

During last year's legislative session, Darger and his wives lobbied lawmakers for a similar bill. Judge Waddoups' ruling, Darger believes, gave it a boost. Looking over the bill's language, Darger said he would like to see the language dealing with "purporting to marry" clarified further.

"If I called my wives mistresses, it was OK," he said. "But if I called them wives, then I was somehow a criminal? That made me a polygamist criminal."

Anti-polygamy activists expressed concerns about the bill.

"We haven't addressed the problems within polygamy," Kristyn Decker of the Sound Choices Coalition told FOX 13 News. "The harms to women and children, the harms to society."

Shannon

Legalize Polygamy if you are going to decriminalize it! Then they would need to obtain marriage licenses and birth certificates like everyone else. They need to be counted and made responsible for the financial support of the children that they create and not place this burden on the rest of us.

No, it’s not government’s job to decide who is married and who is not. Giving them licenses would require private employers to provide benefits for all those wives and kids. And that’s just 1 of a million reasons that would be a bad idea.

It’s already legal for people to have s e x with multiple partners, which means that “polygamy” is just a THOUGHT CRIME. If you consider yourself “married” then it becomes illegal. That is manifestly absurd.

Legalize adult behavior. But there is no requirement to put an official stamp of approval on it, and expect society to subsidize it. Taxpayers are people too. So are employers.

Denna Montano

It’s a crime! Till you live in it and have to deal with it. You would not understand how it tears the normal family unite apart! With jealousy, neglect, and no one on one connection with the kids and one wife! Its a deasetful life . Always not having that close connection with a single family brings! No vacations, Polygamy does not belong in our life Period!!!!!!

You what harms society, women and children? Criminalizing CONSENSUAL ADULT relationships. It means abuse victims and witnesses will be less likely to cooperate with law enforcement. There is no good reason to deny that we must keep evolving until an adult, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, monogamy or polyamory, race, or religion is free to marry any and all consenting adults. The limited same-gender freedom to marry is a great and historic step, but is NOT full marriage equality, because equality “just for some” is not equality. Let’s stand up for EVERY ADULT’S right to marry the person(s) they love. Get on the right side of history!